down to the wire again. i have one of the school quilts done, one needing just the binding sewn down and one completely undone, but on the board waiting to get done. they have to be done by friday, but dear sam has other plans for me on thursday and friday. so i have four days to finish. if i get done sooner, i will do a bit more quilting on the two that are done and nearly so.

and, i caught my wee mousie. one for gini. i was sitting up late one night and caught a big black flying object out the corner of my eye. i thought a big bumblebee had woken up too soon. then a minute later a tiny black mouse went scooting by. the little stinker had jumped from the chair to the couch, flying through the air. so the trap went out. every evening after sam goes to bed, that little stinker comes out and scurries around the living room. more traps, but i only i managed to catch my daughter's toe. last night, i had had it. they weren't touching the traps and the little stinker, ran between my legs and then mosied around the living room wiggling his/her whiskers at me. i reloaded the traps with my killer combo. salami, peanut butter and cheese with a piece of wheat thrown in. SNAP. i now know the elation that hunters get when they get a trophy animal. booyah!

Agnes your stained glass floral quilt is beautiful. Reminds me of sunshine and spring. You are always doing something that inspires me. Love the different placement of the blocks. Really draws the eye around the quilt.

Haven't posted here in a long, long while but I've been watching all of you with heartfelt interest. Everyone is just so talented and amazing. Thanks for all your inspiration. Wanted to share my first partially finished top of 2013. It was a New Year's Day quilt that took me more than a day. It still needs borders but DH says he really likes the design so I guess it's a keeper. Will be going back into the shadows for a while. Kitchen remodel starts this week. Who knew it would disrupt the entire house including the little sewing time I had? I'll keep watching and maybe surface for some sewing news once in a while. Have a great quilty day.

Oh gini, you go girl. Fearless rodent hunter that you are. We've had plenty of little gray mice this year. They've even invaded my sewing room. Yuck!! DH has traps everywhere. The one thing that really bothered me one winter was the squirrel that decided our chimney would make a nice home. He would sit behind the fire screen and chitter at us as if we were invading his territory. Luckily DH convinced him to leave. it wasn't pretty. Picture America's Funniest Home Videos...........

Oh Gini you brought back a hilarious memory of a past "mouse Hunt" my family had. It even involves quilting!

Picture it- my granddaughter was 10 yrs. old and very squeamish about bugs, lizards, etc. and also very adoring of furry animals. (do you see where this is going?)

My grandson was 3 yrs. older and very much into hunting and fishing and getting all "manly"-ish.

I came home with an old beat up quilt from Goodwill- which was wool and just made for the dog to sleep away on cold winter's nights. Unbeknownst to all of us -it harbored another animal who thought it was a great sleeping place- a little gray and white mouse! I was hanging said quilt on the clothes line, right out of the Goodwill bag, when I thought I saw a leaf flutter down to the ground. I looked again and there he was- cute as can be, all fluffed up and looking pretty indignant that his home had gone to the dogs as it were.

I just looked back and said sorry lil buddy- you're out of luck. I commenced to beating the quilt with a broom and loosing some other flying critters here and there and hosed it down. To my amazement when I went to go inside the house, the mouse had just climbed inside thru the doggy door!!! I just caught sight of the tail end going thru....I opened the door and he was nowhere to be found!

I called for the 13 yr old "man" of the house and told all the story- my grandaughter was asking what the mouse looked like, if I thought it was once someone's pet (see the stars and butterflies circling the darling head....) After all were informed- the dog, Furgus, came in to see what the kerfuffle was about and immediately sensed the critter- and gave chase; ie.: the Funniest Home Videos part. fter trashing the couch cushions and running up the drapes (BOTH animals) and us all yelling at the dog to quit (yeah, right, that ALWAYS works- ie.:watched Funniest Home Videos?) the mouse was gone and the dog thrown out of the house. Whew we thought- that was a close one. Oh no, not over yet....the said "franken- mouse" comes running out along the wall on the floor...the "man-hunter" starts at it with the broom and grandaughter sees the little furry white spotted gray mouse and NAMES it immediately. "Don't hurt 'Whiskers" she cries!" and we all stop and stare at her-unbelievable; she can't make a snap decision if her life depended upon it and yet in seconds after seeing this mouse for only a few seconds SHE HAS NAMED IT!

Grandson catches the mouse in a towel! (Maybe a Great Hunter is in there somewhere !?) and is carrying it to the front door when granddaughter runs right up to him and cries, " don't you hurt it....I want to see if you hurt him!" Before wise ol granny can say NOOooooo he pulls back the towel to assure her "no mice were hurt during this incident" when....yep- you know it- the mouse squirted out (best description ever- looked just like he was shot from a squirt gun) RIGHT ONTO HER CHEST>>bwahhhhhhahaha! It clung for the microsecond it took her to scream bloooooody murder and flail like a madwoman! It dropped to the floor and went out the dog door it came in- never to be seen again, do you blame it? Must've thought it entered a Middle Ages torture chamber.

Oh that I'd have had it on VHS, what a rich woman I'd have been- we would torture poor lil grandaughter for years afterwards with sayings like, "wanna see if I hurt him?" and was one of the familial inside jokes. She is almost 20 now and we still call her foibles another "Whiskers incident" when we hear of them.

ahhhh that was cathartic...I am still chuckling. Sorry was so long, hope you can relate.

I attended a home show in Eugene this weekend, one we tenderly call the "hippie Homeshow".

(By the way- do any out there watch Portlandia comedy tv show? It is really about Eugene I am sure- so picture a home show on Portlandia....folks it is truer to life than you want to know) I AM one of those old Hippies.

Now that you have all mentally pictured wrinkled tattoos and 4 foot long beards, artisanal light bulbs and cat fece sculptures , although at this show it was beach trash sculpture- cat fece was sooo last year.

I found a product I ACTUALLY bought!! !!!

here is website- at show was $60 and looks like a kinky sex sling(?) but is an awesome, device for those who sit for long times doing tasks and get shoulder and neck, back pain. One of the other Musketeers and I , Brenda, sat in it for 15 mins. went thru entire home show (and yes there were several wine tastes and artisinal beer and hard ciders tested ) BUT after 3 hrs. there we went back sat again using the "device" and both bought one. Why? Retreats, conventions , assemblies, sporting, but most of all QUILTING and SEWING Retreats. I will use it at home too as I sew. Just did! It works better than they claim in ad- is extremely east to use- looks complicated. put it around your lower back, snap the 2 knee straps and pull on the 2 strap at your sides and it feels like you are suspended from a tree swing without a care in the world! I know! Unbelieveable. So here is the site- it is expensive...My only regret is now I have to hide it from hubby so I don't have to fork out $ for his!

It was so much better in person- you can just picture the dizzy little princess and the Franken- mouse!

My Grandson 23- wants to get a mouse -gray and white of course!- taxidermied for her 21st birthday and give it to her with a 'toe tag' with "Whiskers" on it and say we will lay it to rest now that she's an adult- NOT!